John LockeBy: Miles Koenig

John Locke: 1632 - 1704, Engand

John Locke's ideas were crucial to modern day political ideologies and one can still see many of his ideas in work when looking at liberals today. Locke thought that all people were born as equals and that everyone had 3 natural rights; everyone has the right to life, liberty, and property. He was a strong critic of absolute monarchy and thought that the government should be working for the people and not the other way around.

Locke's idea of life, liberty, and property was essential in the forming of the Declaration of Independence. Locke's idea of natural rights showed people that their government should be defending their inalienable rights as humans, and not taking these rights away to gain power.

Locke's ideas were new and innovative at the time but not fully accepted and some people believed his ideas were even radical, though widely accepted today. The old ideas were that Kings were able to rule because god gave them the right to rule over the people, Locke's ideas stated that the governments power snd right to rule comes from the people.

John Locke was quoted saying "New opinions are always suspected, and usually opposed, without any other reason but because they are not already common.". I believe that he is trying to say, even though something may be right just because not many people have said it, people wont accept it.